Domestic household gas cooking ranges normally include a range top which has a plurality of gas burners. These gas burners can be divided into two styles, the first being a sealed cook top burner and the second being an open cook top burner. Sealed gas top burners are normally disposed around a burner opening of the range top and are secured around the periphery of the opening so that any spillage of food will remain on the range top and not pass between the burner head and the burner opening into the interior of the range. Open cook top burners are normally supported by structure which is located below the range top and they extend through a burner opening in the rang top. There is an annular space which exists between the burner head and the burner opening. This annular space generally varies in width from one-half of an inch to one and one-half inches and has over the years presented problems to the range designers, the range manufacturers and the end users of the range.
This annular space can allow spills to fall through the underlying burner box and this annular space can also provide a non-intended opening for flue products to emit especially when the oven or any other burner compartment located below the top section begin to operate. When the flue products exit through this annular space and thus around the burner, a disturbance in flame operation can result causing an objectionable flame lifting, flame floating and/or flame blowing. This phenomenon is quite common in varying degrees in all gas ranges and is most noticeable in the first five to ten minutes of oven operation when the appliance oven is in the process of establishing and maintaining the intended path for the flue products to exit. When an oven or any other burner compartment located below the top section is ignited, the gas range must develop the intended path for flue products to exit. Commonly, the flow path is through a sheet metal box extending from the oven compartment cavity, passing through the top burner compartment and terminating above the top section of the gas range at a position normally in the center of the range towards the rear portion of the range. This process is known in the industry as developing "a stack action". The development of "stack action" is similar to developing a draft in a fireplace or chimney. During the time that this "stack action" is being developed, the flue products will have a tendency to exit the burner compartment through the annular space around the burners. The flow of these flue products through the annular space causes the disturbance in flame operation discussed above. The gas range industry recognizes this problem and has developed gas range standard Z21.1 which can be the basis for rejection of a gas range under the certification process. The solution to this flame disturbance problem in the past has been to adjust the air shutter associated with the top burners, closing down the primary air, to settle the flame allowing it to cling to the burner ports of the gas burners. Closing down of the primary air can cause CO levels to rise and can only be addressed by derating the burners which is undesirable.
Thus, the continued development of gas burners has included design efforts directed to the elimination or reduction of this flame disturbance problem during the development of "stack action" without compromising the performance of the burner.